FAIRFIELD -- Prior to Tuesday night's FCIAC semifinals, Wilton High School girls basketball coach Jaclyn Porco was crystal clear about what she expected from her squad.

"I told them tonight we were not allowed to be here for the third time and walk out with a loss, it was not to happen," Porco said. "The tone was very direct -- we wouldn't allow it."

Eliminated in the semifinal round of the FCIAC Tournament the previous two seasons, the Warriors were determined not to be denied a third time, especially after hearing their coach's words. The junior duo of Erin Cunningham and Erica Meyer made sure they weren't.

Cunningham scored a game-high 22 points and Meyer was a force inside, adding 13 points, leading second-seeded Wilton to a 60-44 victory over sixth-seeded Greenwich in the semifinal round of the FCIAC Tournament at Fairfield Ludlowe High School. The Warriors (19-3) advanced to Thursday's 7 p.m. championship game where they will play top-seeded Danbury at Ludlowe.

"This win feels awesome, especially since we haven't gotten past this game the past two years," Cunningham said. "Getting to the FCIAC finals and winning it have been our goals the whole season."

Junior forward Jamie Kockenmeister scored 12 of her team-high 21 points for the Cardinals, who faced a 12-point halftime deficit, but cut the Warriors' advantage to four early in the fourth quarter.

"Give Wilton credit, they are a very good basketball team that's been here before, so experience was on their side," GHS coach Chrys Hernandez said. "Our lack of experience showed and we got a little bit frazzled. I'm more than proud of our team though."

Kockenmeister's layup off an inbound pass 10 seconds into the final quarter pulled Greenwich to within 43-39. But Wilton went on a 13-0 spurt to seize a commanding 56-39 advantage over a span of more than five minutes. After sophomore guard Karen Brosko hit a short jumper, the 6-foot-3 Meyer scored back-to-back baskets in the post, one of which resulted in a three-point play. Cunningham scored off a putback and swished a 3-pointer, giving Wilton a 54-39 edge.

Meanwhile the Cardinals had trouble running their offense against the Warriors man-to-man defense during the final quarter.

"Even though we matched up with them evenly, in the fourth quarter we lost our composure a little bit and forgot what our game plan was," Kockenmeister said. "Unfortunately, it cost us the game. I'm extremely proud of my teammates, we worked so hard to get here and didn't give up."

"It was upsetting when we didn't win here the past two years, so we capitalized on that feeling and used it to motivate us. It gave us even more of a feeling to win," said Meyer, who guarded Greenwich 6-3 sophomore center Abbie Wolf. "I knew coming into this game that Abbie is a very good player and I would have to bring my `A' game."

Both teams seemed to bring their `A' game in what was a well-played, up tempo first quarter. A putback by Wolf, followed by a layup from Kockenmeister, gave the Cards a 13-12 lead. The Warriors took a 14-13 edge into the second quarter after Cunningham made a basket in the post just as the buzzer sounded.

Wilton, which beat Greenwich 49-40 during the regular season, opened a 31-19 halftime advantage, outscoring the Cardinals 17-6 during the second quarter. Eight straight points to end the opening half gave the Warriors a double digit lead. Cunningham ended the half by nailing a 3-pointer with one second remaining. Defensively, Wilton was rock solid in the second quarter.

"They were really up in your face on defense and overplaying," GHS junior guard Alexa Moses said. "We didn't use the backdoor as much as we wanted and catch on as quickly as we should have."

Said Porco: "We keep emphasizing defense. We tell them, you play hard on defense, the rest will come and the rest has come the past two games."

Ten third-quarter points from Kockenmeister helped the Cardinals cut their 12-point deficit in half heading into the fourth quarter. Wolf finished with eight points and sophomore guard Caroline Beneville hit a pair of 3-pointers for Greenwich, which last appeared in the FCIAC tourney in 1992.

"It's incredible to think that we made history this season by winning an FCIAC Tournament game," Greenwich senior guard Rebecca DeCarlo said. "As a senior, it's nice to go out with a bang, but we still have states to look forward to."